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ATLAS / IDEAS

Game design atlas

Find a mechanism, understand its tradeoffs and smallest useful scope, then build your game with a design card and sample project.

192 Mechanisms32 Mechanism domain48 Art styles12 Genre guides

Art styles My research shelf Rain Canopy Workshop · Try the complete prototype Pixel toolkit

Core loop

01Learn a need
02Commit and act
03Receive a specific response
04Open a new cooperation opportunity

Characters and relationshipsOne rule

Trust through actions

Take a lucrative job or keep a low-paying promise to a friend with limited time?

Reference gamesStardew Valley · My Time at Portia

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Core loop

01Learn individual values
02Face a shared conflict
03Make a public decision
04Respond to disagreement

Characters and relationshipsLinked states

Companion values

Keep your principle, favor a companion or pay more for a compromise?

Reference gamesBaldur's Gate 3 · Griftlands

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Core loop

01Hear the stated demand
02Find relevant evidence
03Choose a negotiating move
04Observe changed acceptance

Characters and relationshipsOne rule

Information in negotiation

Make an offer now or spend time discovering the real need while risking the opportunity?

Reference gamesGriftlands · Disco Elysium

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Core loop

01Help and create a promise
02Record who owes whom
03Request an eligible action
04Fulfill and clear the debt

Characters and relationshipsOne rule

Favors and obligations

Call in a favor now or save it for a more important request?

Reference gamesBohna Nostra · Crusader Kings III

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Core loop

01Read faction needs
02Choose an action
03Update reputations separately
04Inspect changed services

Characters and relationshipsOne rule

Faction reputation conflicts

Will helping dockworkers cost access to a merchant route?

Reference gamesTyranny · Fallout: New Vegas

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Core loop

01Receive private information
02Make public claims
03Challenge and compare
04Vote and reveal

Characters and relationshipsLinked states

Hidden roles and credibility

Reveal your evidence now or hold it to test others' claims?

Reference gamesAmong Us · One Night Ultimate Werewolf

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Covers are original AI-generated style illustrations. Game names reference publicly visible design choices and remain the property of their owners. This atlas does not supply screenshots or assets from those games. Prompts and combinations are original drafts for new games.